By training health care providers who work with adults with developmental disabilities and mental illness, Dr. Yona Lunsky improves the quality of care upstream at the primary care level.
Early Years
Dunblaine School
The Dunblaine School is the foremost non-profit elementary school in Toronto that meets the unique needs and abilities of students who have been diagnosed as learning disabled. It offers a nurturing environment that promotes not only academic but emotional intelligence in every student. Operating as a private school that offers small class sizes and highly-trained special education teachers, Dunblaine provides scholarships to qualifying students.
Individually Tailored Camp Experiences
Offering specialized programs designed specifically for each individual child, this summer day camp in Montreal serves children aged three to 15 who have been diagnosed with Aspergers, Autism or other Developmental Disabilities and provides support with a staff ratio of 1:1.
Adolescents and Teens
Taglit-Birthright Israel
Birthright Israel began with a bold idea—offering a free, life-changing trip to Israel to young Jewish adults between the ages of 18 and 26 and, in doing so, transforming their Jewish future.
Today, Birthright Israel is the largest educational tourism organization in the world.
Birthright also offers ten-day educational trips to Israel for young adults with developmental and/or physical disabilities.
Jewish Family and Child
The Jerome D. Diamond Adolescent Centre offers mental health services to youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who are experiencing psychological, behavioural and/or academic challenges. A cross-discipline team comprised of social workers, child and youth workers, special education teachers and a consulting psychiatrist and psychologist assist youth as they regain their independence.
IDC Herzilya
The LD & ADHD Unit’s mission is to provide comprehensive and evidence-based prevention and intervention programs, dedicated to the promotion of a beneficial emotional-social-academic development of all children and adolescents. A special emphasis is on students who cope with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The flagship program of the Unit – I Can Succeed (ICS) is a 3-tiered prevention and intervention program for children and adolescents in pre-school to ninth grade which aims to strengthen the ability of teachers, parents, and therapists to provide the support required for leading the intervention.
Kids Brain Health Network
The Kids Brain Health Network is the first trans-Canada initiative to focus on improving the diagnosis, treatment, and support for families raising children with brain-based disabilities. Since 2009, they have been working to deliver national standards of care within local settings.
Adults
Good Foot
Good Foot is a courier company that employs people with developmental disabilities in Toronto. It is both a business and a charity; its purposes are to generate income that is redistributed to the staff and to achieve its mission of employing adults with developmental disabilities. In addition to the opportunity to earn wages, Good Foot is a place for people with disabilities to succeed through training and hard work that fosters individual independence, responsibility and capacity. They offer programs and tools that support social inclusion for their employees. These include financial literacy training, lunch programs, cell phones, yoga classes and a social club.
REENA
Individuals with developmental disabilities living in community based housing face growing national challenges that require attention and investment. About 300,000 Ontario adults have an intellectual disability. An estimated 40% of these individuals also have a concurrent mental health diagnosis. An estimated 10,000 individuals are on a non-municipal waiting list for residential supports/affordable housing. REENA is dedicated to tackling these issues by securing affordable housing for adults with neurodevelopmental health issues so that they have the equal opportunity to a life of dignity, individuality, independence and personal growth.
Developing and Nurturing Independence (DANI)
The mission of DANI is to nurture and provide skills-based training with the goal of independence for individuals with developmental disabilities. The POP-UP Lunch program gives participants a chance to learn real-life skills in real-life situations. Program participants travel throughout Toronto to provide an amazing café food experience with all meals prepared under the supervision of an Executive Chef to ensure freshness and quality.
The Azrieli Foundation is strictly apolitical. As a registered charity, the Azrieli Foundation does not engage in or fund any partisan political activities.
Charitable Registration Number: 892425166RR0001